


Anime Night

by HorizonTheTransient



Category: Katalepsis - Hungry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29239878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorizonTheTransient/pseuds/HorizonTheTransient
Summary: Evelyn and Heather watch anime together.
Kudos: 13





	Anime Night

It was important- no,  _ necessary, _ to relax, unwind, and rest. That was the logic that led to me and Evelyn Saye, a talented and deadly-serious, perpetually-scowling sorceress... sitting together on her bed, watching a cartoon about an accountant and her unreasonably busty maid who was also a shapeshifting dragon.

"You know," I said, in the middle of something Raine called 'fanservice.' "Is it just me, or does that blonde woman-"

"Her name is Tohru, you ignorant slut," Evelyn said. We'd watched a few episodes of The Office together a few weeks ago, and 'you ignorant slut' was becoming her favorite phrase.

"Is it just me, or does  _ Tohru _ look rather like Praem?" I asked.

"Hardly," Evelyn said. "Yes, they're both blonde maids, and yes, they're both rather well-endowed, and yes, they're both of supernatural origin, but that doesn't make  _ you, _ with your dark hair and generic good looks and unremarkable personality and inexplicable world-hopping chosen-one powers, an isekai protagonist."

I blinked a few times.

"I understand most of those words individually," I said.

"It's a character archetype," Evelyn said. "There are countless other sexy maids in anime who Praem and Tohru both happen to resemble. I thought you were a literature student."

"Cartoons aren't literature, Evelyn."

"It's called  _ anime _ and it's  _ art!" _

I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"...So," I said, after a pause. "I was wondering, what if Praem's idea of humanity has been influenced by... anime... as well as by us?"

Evelyn blinked a few times.

"And she's a sexy maid because she sees them in the shows you like, and... tries to imitate them?" I continued.

"What have I done," Evelyn whispered.

"Evee?"

"We are  _ so lucky _ I was in a fluff phase when I summoned Praem," Evelyn said. "Can you  _ imagine _ the carnage she would've wrought if I'd been binge-watching Fist of the North Star, or Goblin Slayer or Berserk?"

"I might, if I knew what any of those were," I said.

"Philistine."

"Well I'm terribly sorry I didn't grow up on  _ imported media franchises!" _ I snapped. "Some of us are  _ English, _ Evee!"

"I know, and it makes me weep every day," she said flatly. "Right, well, we need to correct this gap in your cultural literacy."

"...Why?"

"Well,  _ someone _ has to get all of my references," Evelyn said. "Might as well be you."

* * *

"'Raven' is the Wiccan version of 'Karen,'" Raine said, completely unprompted.

"I- what?" I asked, yanked out of my thoughts.

"If you walk up to any Wiccan and say, 'I'm sorry for what Raven did to you,' they'll think you can read minds," Raine said. She then turned her attention back to her sandwich.

"...Okay," I said, not sure how to respond. I decided to switch tracks, instead. "So, Evelyn wants to host an 'anime night.'"

"I'm in," Twil said.

"Oh? How'd you talk her into  _ that?" _ Raine asked. Evelyn wasn't present; she said she would eat later, and judging by the other sounds coming from her bedroom door, she was just  _ very _ engrossed in the show she was watching, rather than doing magic.

"By accident," I said. "I never watched much anime, and... she wants to correct that."

"Fair enough," Raine said.

"Although, apparently Praem  _ has?" _ I turned to regard the maid demon. "Praem, did you watch anime with Evelyn? Is  _ that _ where you got your, erm... sexy maid look, from?"

Praem turned and regarded me wordlessly. I looked away, feeling like an idiot.

"Baka," Praem intoned.

"Fucking weeb," Zheng muttered.

"...Is that one of her Siberian words?" I asked.

"I- th- no. No, Heather," Raine said. "No it's not."

"What does it mean, then?" I asked. "Is it a magical term, like shaman? Is it a specific magical tradition?"

"Yes," Twil said, clamping a hand over Raine's mouth. "Yeah, it's Japanese. Involves a lot of sitting in one place, and reading books in a language you don't speak."

"Evee's dabbled in it herself," Twil said. "Go ask her about it."

"Okay," I said, nodding. "Is that why she watches so much anime? Because she's a weeb?"

"Y- yes, exactly," Raine said; she must've licked Twil's palm to make her let go. "That is exactly why she watches it."

"I see, I see," I said. It was rather heartwarming; Evelyn wasn't  _ just _ sharing her favorite media with us, but the basis of some of her more esoteric magical practices, too. It was no wonder she was a weeb, either; with her leg, it was inconvenient for her to go out regularly, and being a weeb was the only thing left for her.

* * *

"So, Kim, are you familiar with anime?" I asked.

"Uh. Kind of?" she said. "It's- well, anime refers to just about everything animated to come out of Japan.  _ But, _ it  _ also _ refers to a few specific genres and presentations and styles?" Kim frowned. "It's complicated. I might have to draw a diagram."

"That's quite alright, I'm not that curious," I said firmly. Evelyn had already drawn me several; one of them had given me a nosebleed. "Evelyn wants to host an 'anime night,' and I was wondering if you wanted to attend."

"That... actually sounds like a lot of fun, yes," Kim said, nodding. "What's she planning on screening? Re:Zero? FMA:B? Ooh, maybe some classic DBZ, or even ATLA-"

"Kimberly I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed.

"...Oh, you poor, deprived thing," Kim whispered. "Well. I'll ask Evelyn when it is. Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome. Oh, and Kim?" I said, before she left the room.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for what Raven did to you."

Kim's eyes went wide. "How did you-  _ who told you?!" _

* * *

"So, owing to the fact that we don't have the time to watch a full season of something together, I've decided we'll watch a movie instead," Evelyn said, once we were all gathered. "I've got quite a selection; if anyone has any preferences, say so now."

"I found one online that looks promising," I said.

"Heather," Evelyn said warningly. "If I trust you to pick the movie, am I going to regret it because your choice turned out to be unwittingly pornographic?"

"I- no?"

"Are you sure?" Evelyn asked. "You don't  _ sound _ very sure."

"What are you so worked up about? They don't make pornographic anime, do they?" I asked.

"We'll watch it together later," Raine said, patting me on the shoulder. "But for now, let's watch something Evee picked out, yeah?"

"I've been meaning to watch Conqueror of Shamballa," Twil said.

"I haven't seen the 2003 FMA," Kim said. "Only Brotherhood."

"Ah, fair, fair. Details changed, yeah."

"Penguin Highway, maybe?" Raine said.

"Is that a real movie?" I asked, frowning.

"Very," Evelyn said. "Well, if nobody objects?"

"I wanted to watch-"

"Later, honey," Raine whispered in my ear.

I sighed. "Fine."

* * *

"Alright, let's watch whatever hentai you dredged up from the depths of 4chan," Raine said, later that night.

"I didn't- what's 4chan?" I asked. "...What's hentai?"

"Anime porn, basically," Raine said.

"Is that hentai or 4chan?"

"Yes. Anyway, movie."

I sighed, opening my laptop and clicking the file I'd saved to my desktop.

"...Heather," Raine said.

"Raine," I said.

"This is Howl's Moving Castle."

"I'm aware. I was surprised it had an anime adaptation, but pleasantly so."

"This is  _ perfectly innocent." _

"Did you  _ really _ think I was going to subject everyone to something pornographic?" I asked.

"A girl can dream," Raine said. "Well, a promise is a promise."

Raine pulled me into her lap, wrapping us both in blankets. I smiled gently as she planted her chin on my shoulder, and sighed.

Tonight was a good night.


End file.
